TASS award for Emily Williams

Kettering's Middle Distance rising star, Emily Williams has been selected for the Talented Athlete Sponsorship Scheme (TASS) after being nominated by British Athletics.

British Athletics works in partnership with TASS (Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme), a funded partnership with Sport England, to continue to grow a sustainable dual career pathway for developing English athletes as they transition out of Youth into the next phase of their athletics by having the opportunity to be supported to maximise their potential whilst continuing their education.

Emily who enjoyed her best track season ever in 2018, winning a European U18 Silver medal representing GB, also winning the English schools Inter-girls Championship & SIAB British & Irish Championship, all over 1500m. Emily will benefit from a tailored package of core support services which is worth in excess of £7500 over the coming 12 months.

The British Athletics TASS programme will be positioned to support athletes who have shown the potential to progress onto the World Class Podium Potential programme in the coming years.

In addition to the TASS scheme Emily has also been selected for the Athletics Academy in Sporting Excellence (AASE). The Athletics Academy in Sporting Excellence is a key part of the British Athletics Performance Pathway for young athletes aged between 16 and 18. The pathway programme gives athletes the opportunity to learn and develop the necessary knowledge and skills to progress on to becoming a senior international athlete whilst gaining further qualifications, and is designed to support and compliment club training.

Athletes would need to attend the national camps and regional days over a two year period which include 1:1 days with programme specialists (all work is done on course). The programme workshops will cover topics such as nutrition and performance, sports psychology, lifestyle, communication and media, Clean Athletics education, social media and career planning. Practical elements will include workshops in strength and conditioning, fitness testing as well as physiotherapy input and support.

These scheme underline the potential that British Athletics see in the Kettering Athlete as she embarks on a busy two years studying A levels, with a full winter Cross Country programme and a keen eye on the U20 European Championships coming up in 2019 in Sweden.